Karachi faces third power outage in four days

This time, KE says the outage was caused by disruption of supply from national grid

KARACHI: For the third time in four many days, the port city plunged into darkness on Thursday morning - this time due to a major fault that developed in the K-Electric's distribution system.

According to KE officials, the disruption in power supply was triggered by a rollover effect, following the disconnection of Karachi's power supply lines from the nation grid in the early on Thursday morning.



The power utility claimed that the fault was soon rectified power restored to all areas by noon. Reports from several areas of Karachi, however, suggested otherwise, with residents claiming that power in Saddar, North Karachi, Nazimabad, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Lyari and others was yet to be restored by late evening.

Initially, the power supply was also disrupted to major installations such as the airport, Cantt Railway Station, Dhabeji and Gharo pumping stations, public hospitals, Sindh Assembly and Governor House.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, the KE's spokesperson said, "High humidity had caused the tripping of Extra High Tension lines, which was the cause of the previous two breakdowns."

The KE's system often breaks down even with a light drizzle. The cause in such a situation, according to the company's spokesperson, is the conversion of dust particles on EHT lines into sludge.

Meanwhile, Sindh Minister for Local Bodies Saeed Ghani expressed concern over the repeated power breakdowns, which he attributed to the KE's inefficiency. He said that the disruption in power supply causes damage to machinery and results into bursting of water pipelines, further aggravating the city's water crisis.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmaker Khurrum Sher Zaman also blamed the KE administration, warning it of strict action if the situation did not improve. He added that the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority had also held KE responsible for the electricity crisis, adding that the power utility company should operate the Korangi and Bin Qasim power plants to generate electricity for its consumers.

Federal Minister for Power Omar Ayub Khan said that the prevailing issue of tripping in main transmission lines in the areas of K-Electric and other coastal regions was due to adverse weather conditions. He explained that high moisture in the coastal areas caused technical faults in the main transmission lines, which ultimately led to power outages in Karachi, Thatta and Badin.



Khan directed the authorities to investigate the matter in detail to see if any preventive maintenance was carried out by both the National Transmission and Dispatch Company and the KE. The minister said that strict action will be taken against officials if it was established that the issue was caused due to negligence.

Main line bursts again

The power outage again caused the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board's main line to burst. This time, the burst not only disrupted water supply to consumers, but also halted the board's tanker service.

According to a press statement issued by the KWSB, a 72-inch main water line burst due to back pressure after the power outage at Dhabeji pumping station. "This also affected the 300 million gallons of water being supplied to the city," said a KWSB's official.

There were two power breakdowns back to back on Monday morning, which damaged the main water line. Then there was another breakdown on Tuesday, which also burst the water line. Now, another power failure on Thursday, according the KWSB's press statement, burst another water line measuring 72-inches in diameter.

KWSB MD Khalid Sheikh has issued directives to repair the broken line as soon as possible. However, due to continuous power failures, the KWSB's online water tanker service has been disturbed.

"The hydrants are facing water shortage now," said Sheikh, adding that citizens who book water tankers through mobile applications or phone calls are facing difficulties.  The water is now being supplied through alternative sources, according to the press statement. 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2018.